The present invention relates to a die coater and, particularly, to an improved die coater capable of changing paints from one to another efficiently and easily.
A die coater has a die having upper and lower mold-pieces which form a manifold and a slit extending from the manifold. The die coater is used for coating the surface of a sheet material under running. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) Nos. 2-38022(1990) and 2-214569 (1990) are referred to.
When color change is conducted by changing paints from one to another in a conventional die coater, it is necessary to stop the supply of the paint and clean the inside of a manifold, slit or the like by using a solvent, but such a cleaning operation usually requires to disassemble the die and, thus, it needs much time.
For solving the foregoing problem, the present inventors have made earnest studies and, as a result, have found that by disposing paint supply pipes which communicate with both end portions of a manifold and disposing a flow channel closing member in the manifold in a fluid sealing state, the member being movable along the manifold, paints can be changed from one to another efficiently and easily without disassembling the die for the cleaning operation when the paint is changed. The present invention has been accomplished based on the finding.